"Ben-ism"s

Here are a few of the word mix-ups that Ben has been using lately:

-"overfloating" for overflowing (This is in regards to a toilet story that I will post later;)
-"supartment" for apartment
-"Miss Watermelon" for one of Molly's nicknames: Miss Molly Lou Melon
-"yogret" for yogurt
-"Gerger King" for Burger King (He's never eaten there, this is also related to the toilet story that I will post later)
-"cinnamon" for the word simmons in a song we sing: "Shake Those Simmons Down"
-"Old Dan Tackle" for the song "Old Dan Tucker"
-"privaty" for privacy
-"wind-shipers" for "wind shield wipers

Lessons That Can Come Back to Bite You!

Anyone who knows Ben knows that he is a smart little guy. He learns things SO quickly. Which, typically, is a huge blessing to me and is something that I love. However, I have learned that a few lessons can come back to bite...

Lesson # 1: It is not good to litter.
Ooops: Now, every time that we go on a walk, which is every day at least once, Ben is obsessed with seeing trash and wanting to pick it up. He will yell, "Oh, Mama, there is some trash over there...somebody must have forgotten to throw it away! Let's go get it and help them throw it away!" Its not like I don't want him to be a good steward of the earth, its just that I am getting tired of having him filthy from other people's trash. Then I have to spend the rest of the walk trying to find a trash can, and trying to make sure that he keeps his hands out of his mouth!!

Lesson # 2: Nature is fascinating.
Ooops: Sure, a pretty flower or tall tree here or there are wonderful to look at, but a dead bird with gnats crawling in its eye sockets...not so great. Revolting, in fact. However, I have spent so much time encouraging Ben to stop and take time to check out the world outside that he was ENTHRALLED with the dead bird. "Is that bird sleeping, Mom?" Ben asked. "Yep, buddy, it sure is. Look at the nice bugs who are visiting him, that's so nice!" I replied.

Lesson # 3: It is good to poop in the toilet.
Ooops: Now, every time that Ben poops on the toilet, which occurs at least once every day, he is so proud that he insists on showing it to everyone in the house. I can not tell you how many times I have looked at poop in the toilet that was not my own in the past 3 weeks. And, though I am proud of him for being so excellent at using the toilet, I have definitely had my fill of the post-poop "show and tell!" Oh, and its not just me, anyone else at the house during a trip to the bathroom is also invited to the "show and tell". What fun!!

More Pics

My Little AP Baby

Quick story about tonight...tried to go out to dinner with some friends, but Aaron had to call me to come home after an hour and a half.

It's sort of strange to be mothering Molly right now. I have lots of friends who separate from their babies all the time. The babies never seem to have trouble with it, and the mamas have no trouble leaving them. But this is not the case for Molly and me. And I accept it fully.

I have chosen to "AP" Molly and Ben. For the unfamiliar, AP means Attachment Parenting. It is a form of parenting that, in general, supports keeping moms and babies as close together as is comfortable for both. If anyone is ever interested, I would be happy to share my reasons for deciding that this is the way I would like to parent my children. But, suffice it to say, I am happy with this choice, and think that it is right for me and my children. The problem is that Molly is...well...attached to me. So, when she wouldn't go to bed for Aaron tonight, and I had to come home to put her down, I can't really find any frustration with her, because I have actively taught her to rely on me to meet her needs and to expect that I will be there for her. She is doing exactly what I have helped her learn to do.

Now that she is 4 months( I am laughing as I am typing this, because, really, in the grand scheme of things, that is really still SO young) I do think that we need to work on her relationship with Daddy, because, though I don't need to be out all the time, I do need to feel like she and Daddy have a good relationship (he needs this too) and I need to know that I can go out for dinner here and there.

So, starting tomorrow, Aaron and I are going to put her down together from now on. Molly has been so attached to me, and SUCH an easy baby for me, that we have just fallen into a pattern where I put her down and take care of the vast majority of her needs. With Ben, we shared so much of the parenting, and so I think we just need to get back to a little more shared parenting.

Hopefully this will bring a new, and more bonded, phase for Molly and Aaron. But I do have to admit that I LOVE how attached Molly has become to me. With Ben, I never knew if I was really meeting his needs, but with Molly, it is so great to know that I can meet all of her needs to effortlessly! It's truly amazing!

Bragging Mama...

Hate to be so annoying as to point it out, but my kids are stunningly beautiful. Take a look at these pics!

A Couple of Things...

-Ben is potty-trained!!! He started last Tuesday, and has just done great! Just one or two accidents, and he's got it! I can't believe that I don't have to wipe 2 rear-ends anymore! Woo hoo!!!

-Molly has found her feet! It is so sweet. I was in a yoga "Mommy and Baby" class this week, and the instructor had us lay on our backs and grab our feet...she called it "Happy Baby Pose". I thought to myself, "Babies don't do this, do they?" Then, that very day, Molly found her feet, grabbed on, and perfectly demonstrated "Happy Baby Pose!"

-Molly is laughing! Not all the time, and it's not a long, drawn out belly laugh, but she is definitely laughing...it's one of the sweetest sounds on earth!

-Things are going pretty well now. Sleep is, of course, our only frustration:) Ben is waking up WAY too early (like 5:30 this morning), and Molly is staying up way too late (like 10:30 last night). If you do the math, you can see that we can't even get 8 hours in even if we tried. Things will be better soon...Molly is transitioning to an earlier bedtime, but she is just not quite there yet. We'll see how the next few weeks go. **If only Ben would sleep in!! Of course, I will be cursing him for sleeping in when he is a teenage, I'm sure.

Yes...I'm still alive...

So sorry for the terribly long haitus. It turns out that I am not good at finding time to blog with a newborn in the house. Who would have guessed? ;)

I am still going to post the rest of the birth story at some point, but I figured I should get back in the habit of posting about our daily lives before I loose the skill completely.

Just a couple of thoughts:
-Ben is a GREAT singer! I just got the best video of him singing, "Blackbird singing in the dead of night". Aunt Gretchen taught him this song, and he knows the whole chorus. It's hysterical to hear a 2-year-old singing: Blackbird singing in the dead of night...take these broken wings and learn to fly...all your life, you've been waiting for this moment to arrive. (Or something like that, he knows all the words, but I don't!)
-Molly is starting to feel more like a baby every day. For a while there, she just felt like a warm, peaceful little extension of me. But as each week passes, I can feel her separating her identity from mine bit by bit. Case in point...she is sleeping in her bed in the other room, rather than in my arms! Good girl!
-I am so proud of Aaron. He has been having a hard time feeling bonded to Molly. But instead of just letting himself stay frustrated, he has focused his energy on taking any possible opportunity to hold her and have fun times with her. And, though it has only been a few days, she is already responding to him so well, and has been giving him the most wonderful smiles!

One last thought: though there have been some hard times these past 3 months, I would say that our lives are actually going VERY well right now, and it is such a blessing to just feel happy. Nothing is perfect, but we are all happy, and we are all in love with each other...does life get any better than this?!!
Oh, and also, Ben pooped on the potty today!!! That's partly why I am so happy...I just had to help him with one clean up wipe, rather than scrape poop that has been smushed to the fullest capacity of a diaper off the butt of a toddler!! It's a great day!!